How Much Does It Cost to Replace Your RV Floor?

If the flooring in your RV is a little worse for wear, you may be curious how much it costs to replace it. After all, not only does the flooring look bad after so many years, but you’re worried it may be dangerous to walk around on. We did extensive research on RV flooring replacement prices to bring you the answer.

While the costs to replace your RV floor will vary, you could spend anywhere from $620 to $6,000 for the project. It all depends on how much space you have (square footage), what kind of replacement flooring you want, and the extent of the work. For example, getting new floor joists will be much more expensive.

That’s a huge price range, we know. If you want to calculate how much your floor replacement project will cost you, then read on. In this article, we’ll elaborate more on RV floor replacement costs as well as when and why you might need a replacement.

How Much Does It Cost to Replace Your RV Floor? A Breakdown of Pricing

Above, we mentioned how RV floor replacement may cost you anywhere from under $1k to well over $6k. Where did these numbers come from and what leads to such extreme price fluctuations? Let’s delve deeper into the factors that can drive up the costs of new RV flooring.

Square Footage

Just how big is your RV? If it’s a Class B we’re talking about, then it’s probably a smaller vehicle on par with a travel trailer. Class Cs are moderate, but Class As are the biggest of the bunch. That means you’ll have the most square footage in one of these RVs.

It’s reasonable to assume that the more space in your vehicle, the more money you will have to spend on flooring replacement.

Flooring Material for the RV

Which material do you want to upgrade to? Some materials are less expensive than others. Theoretically, you could even replace the flooring yourself, although we don’t really recommend this. You’d have to have a lot of experience for the project to look right in the end.

If you have to spend the money on new RV flooring, you might as well spring for the good stuff, right? Home repair site Fixr shares the costs of the most common flooring materials. Now, keep in mind, these prices are for home use, not RV use. You may end up paying more (or even less, in some instances) for flooring for RV purposes.

Laminate

Final cost: $540 – $675

The first material you might consider is laminate flooring. It mimics natural wood but will not warp or rot as wood does. The flooring can snap into place. If a panel of laminate flooring gets stained or scratched or begins to weaken, you can swap it out with a fresh one.

If you have about 20 square feet to work with, Fixr estimates you might spend between $60 and $75 for the laminate flooring replacement. Per square foot, that’s $3 to $3.75.

Now wait, you’re probably saying. It’s that cheap for the floor replacement? Then how did we get to the $620 to $6k estimate above? Just wait. We’ll get to that. (Hint: it’s labor costs.)

Vinyl

Final cost: $140 to $200

If you’d like to decorate the floor of your RV with vinyl, it’s another great option. Vinyl is pretty hardy, but it can suffer scuffs and scratches with regular use. You’ll pay less for vinyl RV flooring than you would for laminate. According to Fixr, sheet vinyl is about $40 or $50. That price might be slightly higher or lower depending on the square footage of your vehicle.

Carpeting

Final cost: $840 to $950

Carpeting is plush, and you should certainly have some in your RV. How much you want is up to you. Do keep in mind that carpeted surfaces are prone to stains, be that ground-in dirt, mud, or even food messes. You will also have to make sure your carpets don’t get too damp so you don’t end up with mold or mildew.

If your RV ever leaks, you’d probably have to rip out the carpets and start over. Carpets sit on a subfloor, which is often made of wood. If the wood is rotted, you’re in trouble.

Maybe you’re convinced carpeting is right for you. If so, you have tons of carpeting choices at your disposal. These include:

Loop

Cut pile

Twist

Wool

Olefin

Polyester

Nylon

Depending on which carpet type you choose, you could pay between $600 and $650 for the carpeting alone.

Linoleum

Final cost: $620 to $850

A somewhat more expensive flooring option for your RV is linoleum. If you have 200 square feet of space aboard your vehicle, you may pay $500 to $700 for the linoleum. As you would expect, you’d pay more if your vehicle is bigger.

Do keep in mind that these are just the costs for materials procurement. We haven’t factored in labor costs yet. We will in the next section.

Hardwood

Final cost: $1,050 to $1,900

While hardwood looks nice, you have to be careful to avoid water damage. It’s also quite pricy. With 200 square feet of space in your RV, you’d pay somewhere between $250 and $600 for new hardwood boards. If these need to be sealed, stained, or sanded, you can expect to tack on an additional $200 to $400 more.

Tile

Final cost: $240 to $710

Finally, there’s tile. You can order tiles that look super luxe or are simpler in design. Over time, the tiles risk loosening as well as becoming discolored or even cracking. That’s okay though because you won’t pay much for tiles. The costs for the materials themselves are somewhere in the ballpark of $100 to $150. That’s on the lower end. If you want posh, high-quality tile, you will pay for it.

Replacing RV flooring: Cost of Labor

Some of the prices for RV flooring materials are a little high, but nowhere near as high as the quote we tossed out in the intro. That’s because labor costs have not been factored in yet. Here’s what the labor costs are for each of the flooring materials we covered above:

For laminate flooring, the price of labor may be $480 to $600

For vinyl flooring, you could pay $120 to $150 for every two hours of work; if it takes longer to complete the project, the price will continue to increase

For carpeting, installation requires about four hours, which is the equivalent of $240 to $300 out-of-pocket for you

For linoleum, you might be charged $120 to $150 for labor costs over two hours

For hardwood floors, spot repairs can be between $250 and $600 and overall work for about 12 hours is $600 to $900 (don’t forget the staining and sanding!)

For tile flooring, labor is cheaper at $140 to $210

Other Repairs

You may need more than just flooring. As we mentioned in the sections on hardwood and carpeting, in some instances, other work must be done on your RV floors. If you happen to need new floor joists, this is where the bulk of your expenses is going to come from. That job can cost $6,000, which is significant.

When Is It Time to Replace Your RV Floors?

Those prices may have given you pause about your need for RV floor replacement. While yes, it is a lot of money to spend, your floors are incredibly important. If the structural integrity of the floors is in question, you cannot afford to wait to get new flooring. It’s not safe to be in your RV until you do.

Here are several situations that warrant RV floor replacement.

You Have No Idea How Old Your Floors Are

If you bought your RV used, then you probably did your research on the vehicle before you purchased it. However, you may have overlooked the flooring. Now you’re wondering just how old the flooring truly is. Is it the original flooring that came with the RV? Did the owner replace it themselves at some point?

If you really have no idea and you can’t get in touch with the former owner, you might want to replace the flooring anyway. This is a preventative measure. If you go for mid-priced flooring now, you could save yourself a lot of money down the line as you prevent these other RV floor issues…

Mold or Mildew Has Grown

If you’re not diligent about keeping your carpets clean and dry, then mold and mildew can sprout up. Sometimes this develops on the subfloor, meaning you’re breathing in bacteria without even realizing it.

Mild mold cases can be dealt with, but once these bacteria truly take over, the costs of getting your RV parts replaced can be quite high.

There Are Soft Spots in the Floor

A soft spot is dangerous and requires immediate attention. Chances are, your flooring or subfloors are made of wood that has rotted or warped. Water damage is a pretty likely culprit of soft spots.

No matter the cause, do not walk around this area until it can be replaced.

You Had a Significant Leak or Flood

You’ll probably have more than one soft spot to contend with if your RV recently had a huge leak. Cleaning up water quickly is paramount, but the damage may already be done. Most wood floors won’t be able to withstand being submerged in water without bending or warping. This goes for the subfloor and the main flooring.

If you have several soft spots in your flooring, this is considered an emergency. You should either vacate the RV or get the floor replaced ASAP. Otherwise, an injury is likely to occur as someone accidentally busts through the weakened floor.

Are Floor Replacements Covered Under Your RV Warranty?

Since it’s generally not cheap to get new RV flooring, you might grab your owner’s manual and flip to the warranty. Will the work be covered or are you going to be left to go it alone?

That depends on a few things. If you bought your RV used from a third-party seller, the warranty might not apply to you. Even if you’re the original owner, your warranty may have expired. Most RV brands only cover these vehicles for the first one or three years of ownership.

If your RV warranty is indeed still active, you might not get as much coverage as you had hoped. Sometimes only minor cosmetic repairs are part of the warranty. Major repairs like new floor replacement after water damage would not be paid for by the manufacturer in many cases.

These provisions can certainly vary. If you’re curious about the terms of your RV warranty, we recommend you contact your manufacturer directly and ask.

In Conclusion

If you want to replace your RV flooring, you could spend between $600 to $6,000 for the job. There are plenty of flooring options for you to consider. Some are cheaper, knocking the total project price down to less than $1k. Others are on the expensive side.

Even if you’re not paying much for flooring materials or labor, other repairs can drive the costs way up. If you have a bad case of mold or mildew, soft spots, or old joists, expect to pay a lot more.